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GreenJackets Wrap-up: Augusta bullpen shuts down Rome in series finale

Wednesday, July 31 - Augusta 3, Rome 2

The final game of the series was one of those where pitchers are piggybacked and the better story is the actual scoring itself instead of the individual players.

GreenJackets manager Mike Goff was almost poetic when describing luck in baseball following this game, and he had plenty motivation for words. Mitch Delfino roped three balls Tuesday and had nothing to show for it, going 0 for 4. Tonight, he found a hole between first and second on a two-strike pitch for two runs in the sixth, giving the GreenJackets a 2-1 lead at the time.

It's the sort of random variation that Goff touched on after the game, and he put it best by saying, "This is why it's a beautiful game."

Those two runs went a long way toward an Augusta win. The GreenJackets added a run in the eighth on an error, which was also huge after Rome scored a run in the ninth to climb back to within one.

Edward Concepcion threw 2.2 innings of one-run ball, allowing one hit and three walks. He was pulled after 52 pitches, giving way to Jake Dunnington, who threw three scoreless innings on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Dunnington looked very good early before tiring in the final inning.

Concepcion is a max-effort guy best suited in the bullpen. He was sitting 93-94 early before losing a little in his final inning. His slider was inconsistent but solid when on, and the same was true for the changeup, which he tossed in a couple times.

Stephen Johnson continues to look very impressive, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings. He struck out six consecutive batters with a mid-90s, tailing fastball and a plus slider. Since returning from a sore shoulder, Johnson has had some of his best outings this season, and his stuff is eye-popping right now. The rest seems to have done the trick.